spacetoday.net: Chang'e-3 lands on the Moon

Chang'e-3 lands on the Moon

Posted: Sat, Dec 14, 2013, 10:27 AM ET (1527 GMT)
Chang'e-3 landing illustration (Xinhua)

China's Chang'e-3 spacecraft successfully landed on the Moon on Saturday, the first spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon in more than 37 years. The spacecraft landed in its designated landing zone in the Bay of Rainbows region of the Moon at 8:11 am EST (1311 GMT, 9:11 pm Beijing time) Saturday, nearly a half-hour earlier than Chinese media reported on Friday. The spacecraft landed successfully and deployed its solar panels shortly after; deployment of its "Yutu" rover is planned for early Sunday. Chang'e-3 is China's first lander mission and the first spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 mission in August 1976.